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Who can resist the peaceful charms of this island
favoured by celebrities for incognito hols? The
laid-back Rétois believe in living and letting live.
Once on the island by the bridge connecting it to
the mainland, bicycles are the best way to
explore the beaches, fishing ports and sleepy
green-shuttered, hollyhocked villages of the Île de
Ré: Platin (with its salt museum), La Flotte, Les
Portes, Rive Doux, La Couarde, Saint-Clément-les-
Baleines...
Salt is still part of local industry, trapped at high
tide in walled reservoirs along the shore. Topped
up at high tide, evaporating at low tide, it
eventually crystallises.
The cycle path along the coast takes you all the
way to Saint-Martin, the island’s ‘capital’. This
charming little fishing port was once the rallying
point for prisoners on their way to Cayenne, and
the citadel walls are still intact. It boasts some chic,
Parisian-priced boutiques, among shops selling
chocolates and Ré’s speciality salty caramels...
Besides the four ‘Tables Gourmandes’ there are
plenty of little restaurants where you can enjoy the
staple oysters and white wine or splash out on
more sophisticated menus.
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